Georgia picked up its 17th football commitment Sunday night when cornerback Branden Smith of Atlanta’s Booker T. Washington High School made his nonbinding pledge on ESPN at the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando.
The 5-foot-11, 171-pound Smith is rated by Rivals.com as the nation’s No. 4 cornerback and the No. 31 prospect overall. He is Scout.com’s No. 7 cornerback and picked the Bulldogs over scholarship offers from Alabama, Florida and Florida State.
“They’ve got a good program with good academics, and I had that connection with the coaches,” Smith said after announcing his choice. “All four are good schools with good coaching staffs.”
When asked to name his greatest asset, Smith said, “My speed. Speed kills right now, and you can’t teach speed.”
Smith, who ran a 10.56 in the 100 meters as a junior last spring, is Georgia’s fourth commitment in the Rivals.com top 100. Joining him on that list are quarterback Aaron Murray (No. 37) of Tampa, offensive lineman Chris Burnette (No. 93) of LaGrange, Ga., and defensive tackle Abry Jones (No. 94) of Warner Robins, Ga.
Leading Georgia’s recruiting efforts with Smith has been Bulldogs defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner.
Garner was still in those roles as of Sunday evening after meeting earlier in the day with Bulldogs head coach Mark Richt. Garner visited Saturday with new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin in Knoxville, and a UT plane spent nearly three hours at the Athens, Ga., airport Sunday afternoon before leaving without him.
David Paschall is a sports writer for the Times Free Press. He started at the Chattanooga Free Press in 1990 and was part of the Times Free Press when the paper started in 1999. David covers University of Georgia football, as well as SEC football recruiting, SEC basketball, Chattanooga Lookouts baseball and other sports stories. He is a Chattanooga native and graduate of the Baylor School and Auburn University. David has received numerous honors for ...
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